UTSA Lost by 21 Points in a Season Opener That Tells You Everything About Its Coaching Crisis

UTSA dropped its season opener to San Jose State with a brutal 95-74 loss on Monday, all while acting coach Nick Bowman was on the sidelines after head coach Austin Claunch’s recent suspension. Talk about starting the season with a gut punch.

San Jose State Owned the Interior, Owned the Game

San Jose State absolutely controlled the game from the jump, especially in the interior. They dropped 46 points in the paint, shot an insane 76.7% on two-point shots, and completely bullied UTSA on the glass with a dominant 43-22 rebounding advantage. Joey Chammaa led the charge for the Spartans with 27 points, and Mekhi Mason wasn’t far behind, adding 26 points of his own. The Spartans really took control at the end of the first half, going on a crushing 17-2 run across just over five minutes to take an 18-point lead into the break. They just kept pouring it on, stretching that lead to as much as 27 points at one point before settling for the 21-point victory.

The Coaching Cloud Hanging Over UTSA

For UTSA, Preston Turner and Shey Eberwein tried to keep things respectable, each scoring 15 points. Isaiah Coleman added 12 points, and KJ Tenner dished out a team-high six assists while chipping in 11 points. They did manage to force 21 turnovers, which shows some fight, but it clearly wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. The Roadrunners were playing under acting coach Nick Bowman, who stepped in after head coach Austin Claunch was suspended last Wednesday following an arrest on suspicion of DWI. You have to wonder how much that off-court drama played a role in what we saw on the court. It’s a tough spot for any team, let alone one opening its season.

The Roadrunners don’t have long to lick their wounds. They’re back in action for their home opener this Saturday at 4 p.m. against VMI. This team needs to show some serious bounce-back energy and give the home crowd something to cheer about after this kind of start.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.